Leverkusen under pressure – secure your tickets for the cup final now

The Europa League final against Atalanta Bergamo (0:3) in Dublin brought the German champion Bayer 04 Leverkusen the end of its record streak of 51 consecutive unbeaten competitive matches and a great disappointment. Just like in 2002, the Bayer team failed in a European Cup final, that time 1:2 in the Champions League against Real Madrid. This time it was Atalanta Bergamo , a team that had never previously been in a European Cup final. The pressure before the DFB Cup final on Saturday against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Berlin is high. Leverkusen does not want to lose the second final within four days against Lautern. Tickets for the DFB Cup final are in high demand due to this situation.

“Lookman demolishes unbeaten Leverkusen,” headlined the Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport from Turin on Thursday about the final in Dublin, which was decided by three goals from the London-born Nigerian national player Ademola Lookman.

First "The Invincibles", then "The Invisibles"

The British Daily Mail put it this way: “From The Invincibles to The Invisibles”.

There were also gloating tones from Austria. “What hymns of praise did the football experts shower on Leverkusen before this Europa League final. The factory club is currently the measure of all things in European football, it was heard. (...)”, wrote the Vienna newspaper Kurier not without malice, “and then Atalanta Bergamo comes along in the final and cuts the high-flyers from Leverkusen down to size with the simplest means (...).”

“A disappointment in Dublin could benefit Lautern,” Leverkusen idol Zé Roberto (49), three times "runner-up" in 2002 (2:4 in the cup final against Schalke 04), already speculated in a Kicker interview on Tuesday, “a difficult and possibly exhausting game could affect fitness and concentration for Saturday. I don't expect it, but it could happen.”

To paraphrase Erwin Köster: “That could be.”

69 hours between Europa League and DFB Cup final

Until the cup final in Berlin, Leverkusen has only 69 hours to process the first defeat in a competitive match since May 27, 2023, and the 0:3 against VfL Bochum, which jumped above the relegation line in the Bundesliga as a result.

“We will learn a lot from this defeat,” said Bayer coach Xabi Alonso in Dublin, “especially me.” The Spaniard had not fielded Robert Andrich, Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann, and regular goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky either from the start or at all.

The final opponent 1. FC Kaiserslautern also operated with the simplest means in the semi-final against Southwest rival 1. FC Saarbrücken (2:0). The 0:1 by Marlon Ritter was preceded by a goalkeeper error by FCS keeper Tim Schreiber. The 2:0 by Almamy Touré (header) came after a free-kick cross.

“They are very dangerous on set pieces,” analyzes Lautern idol Axel Roos (59) in the Kicker Sports Magazine (Tuesday), “if FCK really takes the lead, I want to see how Leverkusen fares against the Red Wall in this stadium.”

When does Lautern play internationally?

Will Lautern pull off the cup upset against Leverkusen? “It would be a typical FCK story,” believes Roos, “almost relegated to the 3rd league and then cup winners.”

Only then would 1. FCK also play in the Europa League. The last time was in 2003, as cup finalists (1:3 against FC Bayern) against FK Teplice from the Czech Republic. The later World Champion Miroslav Klose scored the only goal for the Palatinate team in the two first-round matches (1:2 / 0:1).

What does die-fussballreise.de offer for the cup final?

Die-Fussballreise.de can assist fans on their way to the cup final in Berlin with tickets – specifically with tickets for the cup final in price categories 1 and 2. However, DFB Cup final tickets are currently only sold as a package with a hotel. The “Ticket Only” option is only available upon request.